Automatic finishing machine



Sept. 5, 1944. LYON AUTOMATIC FIiiISHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. LYON AUTOMATIC FINISHING MACHINE Sept. 5, 1944.

Filed Feb. 5, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 5,1944. H. LY ON I I AUTOMATIC FINISHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1941 s sheets sheet s Patented Sept. 5, 1944 AUTOMATIC FINISHING MACHINE Harry Lyon, Haverhill, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey eming n I Application February 5, 1941,,SerialNo, 377,537

3 Cla m This invention relates to machines for working on shoe parts and particularly to a machine for performing finishing operations on the edges of unattached soles.

In the manufacture of certain types of shoes, it .is a common practice to prefinish the soles, prior to attachment to the shoe bottom, by trimming and/0r setting their peripheral edges. This operation may be performed by hand, with rotary trimming and edge-setting tools, or by means of automatic machines in which the sole is fed past appropriate tools for performing these operations. The hand method, which is most widely used in the trade, is not efficient nor is it always productive of uniform results, and, while machines hitherto proposed for prefinishing the edges of soles represent a distinct improvement overthe hand method, they are not altogether satisfactory on all types of soles. This is particularly the case in working on soles having reduced shank portions, and which, therefore, present edge portions of diiferent thicknesses to the finishing tools as the soles are fed through the machine. In these machines, a more or less constant working pressure of the sole edge on the finishing tool is maintained and inasmuch as a pressure appropriate for the thicker edge portions, around the vforepart'is usually too great to be sustained by the thinner reduced shank portions, some lower pressure must be selected, with the unavoidable result that neither one of these portions is subjected to the proper tool pressure for satisfactory finishing.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved machine which is capable of performing edge-finishing operations in a highly efiicient manner on all types of soles. With this end in View, there is provided, as a feature of this invention, an edge-finishing machine having a novel mechanism for feeding an unattached sole, or the like, past a finishing tool whil holding its edge firmly against the working surface of the tool. The novel feedingmechanism consists of a toothed feed wheel which is constructed and arranged to feed the sole past a single guide point afforded by the tool while holding its edge thereagainst with a pressure which may be readily varied to accommodate soles of different thicknesses. V

It is also an object of this invention to provide an edge-finishing machine which, when working on soles having edge portions of different thicknesses, is capable of applying a working pressure of the sole edge on the tool appropriate for each particular edge thickness on the sole. Accordingly, as a further feature of this invention, the novel feeding mechanism is arranged to vary au,-.- tomatically the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with changes in the edge thickness of the sole as different portions thereof are fed past the tool. More particularly, this feature of the invention resides in the provision of a feed wheel which, While feeding a sole past a finishing tool, presses its edge thereagainst; together with means under the'control of the finishing tool, as it engages marginal surfaces of a sole, for varying the effect of the feed wheel to press the .sole edge against the tool. The feed wheel is provided with rounded sharpened teeth which bite into the sole more or less, depending on the force exerted thereon to press it against the sole, and is arranged to feed the'sole past the tool automatically and also to hold its edge against the tool with a pressure which varies with theextent to which the teeth are embedded in the sole. The-finishing tool has portions for en? gaging themargin ,of a sole and has a freely movable part which is shifted from a definite .open to a definite closed position as the thick and thinedge portions pass the tool. These movements of the movable tool part control the application of an additional force on the feed wheel,

and its removal therefrom, to vary the engagement .of the feed Wheel teeth with the sole, and thus govern the action of the .feed wheel, to cause the sole edge to be pressed against the tool, in accordance with variations in the edge thickness thereQf.

Further features of the invention are to be found in the novel force-applying mechanism for ,the feed wheel and its arrangement for control by the 12001; mechanism for holding the tool yielding'ly in closed, position; and in the construction and-arrangement of the finishing tool for ready replacement by other types or sizes without disturbance of the setting of the machine for automati P8! iii i The above and other features of the invention will be more particularly described below, in the detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, and will be pointed out in the claims;

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view, in side elevation, showing a machine embodying the features of this invention;

Fig; 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1, with certain parts of the frame and drive meansomitted for the sake of clarity;

Fig. 3 is a view, in-end elevation, of the upper part of the machine as viewed from the righthand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view of the machine, with certain parts in section, taken substantially on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of certain of the operating parts of this. machine to illustrate their relative positions to each other, and to a sole, during the operation of the machine;

Fig. 5a is a side view of the sole shown in Fig. 5 with its vertical dimensions at an enlarged scale;

Fig. 6 is a view, in vertical section, of a finishing tool and its driving and supporting shaft;

Fig. 7 is a View of the finishingtool, in transverse section, taken on the line VII--VII of Fig. 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. "la is a View similar to that of Fig.7 but showing a different kindof finishing tool; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the feed wheel of the machine illustrating the nature of its teeth and their action on a sole, with the finishing tool shown in outline.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated ma- !chine is provided with a fiat circular work table I0, a feed wheel I2,'a rotary finishing tool I4, and a presser foot I6. The relative positions of these parts with respect'to each other and to a work piece is shown in Fig. 5.

The work table is supported on a ball thrust bearing I8 and has a downwardly extending shaft portion 20 which is journaled in an elongated bearing member 22,. secured to a main frame element-24 by means of plates 26. At its lower end this shaft is journaled in a portion (not shown) of the main frame and carries a bevel gear 28 which meshes with a bevel gear 30, fixed to a shaft 32. The shaft32 is driven at a relatively slow speed by a suitable drive motor (not shown) through a belt 34 and reduction gearing contained withina housing 36.

The feed wheel is formed on-one end of a shaft .38 which is journaled in an elongated arm 40, Fig. 1. This arm is pivotally mounted, by means of a rockshaft 42, in ears '44, 44 of a plate 46 which is secured to a platform portion 48, mounted on the upper part of the main frame of the machine. The platform is provided with a clearance hole 50, Fig. 2, for. the rotary tool and has extensions 52, 54 projecting toward the work table. I

Also secured to the platform is an upright 56 having an abutment 58 into which is threaded an adjusting screw 60, provided with'a lock nut 6|. This adjusting screw engages a thimble 62, mounted in one end of a compression spring '64 having at its other end an abutment pin 66 passing through a hole 68 in a portion 59 of the upright 56 and bearing on the arm 40. The portion 59 extends downwardly beside the arm and holds it against lateral movement in one direction, movement in the opposite direction being prevented by a thrust collar 63, interposed between the arm and the adjacent ear 44.. A feed wheel guard 65 is secured to .theportion 59 by means of screws 61, 61. The spring 64 tends to swing the arm in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, thus moving the feed wheel toward the work table, engagement of thefeed wheel with the upper surface of the work table, which it overhangs, being prevented by means of a stop screw bearing on the upper surface of the plate 46. .This stop screw is threaded through a member .l2,' sec ured to .the armby 5 a belt 92.

means of a screw I4, and is provided with a lock nut I6, as shown.

The feed wheel shaft 38 is driven from the shaft 32 by means of a chain 80 connecting sprockets 82 and 84 which are secured to these shafts. The chain is sufficiently loose to accommodate slight rocking movements of the arm 40 which occur during the operation of the machine. The tool I4, to be described in detail below, is connected to a shaft 86 which is journaled in a bearing 88 on the frame 24 and provided with a pulley 90 that is driven at high speed, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5, directly from the main drive motor by means of The presser foot I6 consists of a plunger 94 having a flattened lower end with rounded edges and which is slidably mounted in a vertical guide 96 supported on a second'up-- right secured to the platform 48 (see Fig. 3).

A tension spring I00 urges the plunger downwardly, such movement being limited by means of a cross pin I02.

The operation of the machine to feed a work piece such as, for example, a sole S, so that its edge is moved past, and also held against, the working surface of the tool I4 is as follows: The feed wheel is. provided with a plurality of peripheral teeth I04 which are of peculiar shape, being laterally curved on both front and back faces and having sharpened edges I06 extending substantially from crest to base on each side of the feed wheel. When the sole S is placed on the work table beneath the feed wheel these teeth bite into its upper surface, as shown in Fig. 8. With the main drive motor started, the p feed wheel turns in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 5 and 8 and, through the teeth I04, exerts a positive feeding force on the sole, along the line a:a:, Figs. 5 and 8, and at an acute angle to a line z-z drawn from the center of the tool to the point of engagement of the feed wheel with the sole, which first moves the edge of the sole against the tool and then, further movement in this direction being prevented by contact of the sole edge against the tool, produces a resultant feeding movement of the sole in a direction substantially parallel to a tangent line at the point of contact of the sole edge with the tool. The effect of the feed wheel is to feed the sole automatically so as to' move its entire edge past the tool, which, in effect, functions as a guide means cooperating with the feed wheel. During its feeding movement the .sole is continuously turning in the plane of the table to effect a balancing of the forces acting thereon and to accommodate the varying curvatures of its periphery, as is evidenced by the curved shape of the feed wheel marks M, Figs. 5 and 8.

This feeding movement of the sole has a component laterally of the feed wheel, and along the line yy, Figs. 5 and 8, which is opposed by the resistance offered by the substance of the sole to the cutting action of the sharpened edges I06 of the engaged teeth I04. This reaction force of the feed wheel teeth tends to hold back the sole and thus causes the sole edge to be held firmly against the tool during the feeding movement of the former by the feed wheel. The extent to which the feed wheel. teeth are embedded in the sole governs the amount of this force and, therefore, determines the Lmagnitude of this effect of the feed wheel to press the sole edge against the tool. This'important function is utilized for a practical purpose as will be explained below.

The presser foot I6 bears on .the sole at a point in line withand between the center of the table and the point of contact of the feed wheel (see Fig. and serves not only to hold the sole down on the table but also to exert a slight drag thereon which steadies the feeding movement, particularly when portions of the sole of smaller radius are encountered. Satisfactory feeding may, however, be accomplished without the use of the presser foot and it may, therefore, be omitted, if desired.

Preferably, and in the illustrated machine, the table is rotated in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, during the feeding of the sole by the mechanism above described, the speed of the table at the zone directly beneath the feed wheel being just slightly greater than the peripheral speed of the feed wheel. This positive rotation of the table appears to facilitate the feeding of the sole, probably by lessening the friction between the sole and the table. However, such rotation is not essential and the table may be merely permitted to idle, or even be held fixed against the rotation, without materially affecting the feeding action'of the feed wheel. This feeding action results solely from the peculiar shape of the feed wheel teeth, and their action on the sole, and from the angular position of the feed wheel with respect to the single guide point provided by the tool. With respect to the latter, and as will be seen from Fig. 5, the plane of the feed Wheel makes an angle of about 30 with a line z-e drawn from the center of the tool to its point of contact of the feed wheel with the sole. Also the feed wheel is offset beyond and to the right of the point of contact of the sole with the tool so that the feed wheel, in effect, slides the edge of the sole downhill past the guide point provided by the tool while holding the edge of the sole firmly against its working surface with a pressure which varies with the depth of penetration of the sharpened and rounded feed wheel teeth into the sole.

The tool I4, which is shown in vertical section in Fig. 6, comprises upper and lower parts I I0 and H2, each provided with axially extending portions H4 and H6, respectively, which interfit nicely, Fig. 7, to form a working surface I I8 having upper and lower radial extensions I20, I22 for engaging the marginal surfaces of a sole.

As it is the usual practice to form the edge of an unattached sole at a slight angle in-order that the edge will appear straight when the sole is placed on a shoe, the working surface I I8 is not exactly cylindrical but instead is conical with the larger diameter at its upper edge. Due to the small scale of the drawings this conicity of the a set, screw, in either of the tool portions, and

also assures proper vertical positioning of the tool with respect to the work table.

Pressed into a shouldered bore I34 in the lower tool part is, a short bushing I36, and likewise pressed into the bore of the upper part I I0 is an elongated bushing I38. Separating movement of the tool parts, to the open position shown in Fig. 6, is limited by engagement of the upper end of the bushing I38 with a cap I40 which is removably secured to the upper end of the shaft by a screw I42, while relative closing movement, to the position shown in Fig. 1, is limited by engagement of the lower end of this same bushing with the bushing I36. Slidably mounted on the bushing I38 and cap I40, and resting on the upper tool part, is a control sleeve I44 having a loosely fitted end piece I46 formed with a ball-like projection I48. As will be apparent, .the sleeve I44 rises and falls, as the upper tool part moves between open and closed positions, and similar vertical displacements are imposed on the pro- 'ection I48.

In the open position shown in Fig. 6, the tool is adapted to accommodate the full thickness of the particular sole for which it is designed, the spacing of the radial extensions I20, I22 bein slightly less than this thickness, and their inclination being such as to produce the upper and lower bevels which are desired in the finished sole. By thus making the tool slightly un-de'rsize, minor variations in sole thickness are taken care of without any closing movement of the tool. This is important since, during the operation of the working surfacel I8 of the tool to burnish and set the edge of the sole, in the usual manner of surface II8 does not show up ver distinctly. It

is, however, illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 6 and, in Fig. 5a, the inclination of the sole edge is shown. If desired, this same result can be obtained by inclining the work table and forming the working surface of the tool cylindrical.

In the illustrated tool, the working surface I I3 is provided with beading grooves I24, I26, at the point where it joins the radial extensions I20, I22. The lower part of the tool is drivingly connected to the shaft 86 by means of a collar I28, secured to the shaft by a set screw I33, and a pin I32 which is driven into the collar and slidably enrotary edge setting tools, the grooves I24, I 26 form beads B, B thereon, see Fig. 5. When the tool closes, as it does to operate on the thinner shank portion Sh, Fig. 5, of a reduced shank sole, the matching recesses of the tool parts, which form these grooves, become misalined and only the working surface H8 is presented to the work, the action of the tool in this respect being-similar to that of the edge-setting tools disclosed and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,299,159, granted October 20, 1942, on my application. Hence, if the tool were made full size, a small variation in its'thickness would cause a thinning out of the beads. Also, as there is no force other than gravity acting at this time to close the tool, the action of the inclined extensions I20, I22 in forming beVels would be materially reduced, and, for reasons which will presently appear, it is essential that the tool be held in wide-open position while working on the forepart.

The machine is adapted to operate on the edge portions of soles in which only the forepart is of full thickness, the reduced shank presenting a much thinner edge to the tool, usually about one half or one third the thickness of the forepart. Under these conditions it'is desirable that the feeding mechanism be able to hold the sole against th tool with a pressure which varies withthe thickness of the edge portion then in contact with the tool. In other words, a pressure suitable for proper action of the tool on the relatively thin edge portion, in the reduced shank, will be insuiiicient to produce a proper actionon the forepart and, conversely, if a pressure adequate for working on the forepart is imposed upon the thinner shank, its edge may be upset and ruined. Variation in the pressure of the sole edge on the working surface of the tool,

to accommodate it to different edge thicknesses of the sole, is obtained in the following manner.

As has been explained above, the intensity of this working pressure is dependent upon the extent to which the feed-wheel teeth are forced into the work piece. The spring 64 is utilized to press the feed wheel against the sole and to force the teeth of the feed wheel into the sole sufficiently to produce a pressure suitable for the reduced shank portions, adjustment of the spring loading being obtainable by means of the adjusting screw 60. In order to increase the working pressure when the thicker forepart is encountered, means sensitive to this increased thickness, in the illustrated machine the tool itself, are arranged to impose an additional loading on the feed wheel.

Referring to Fig. 1, .a vertically extending strap I50 is pivoted to the end of a lever I52 and has a forked lower end I54 which straddles a reduced portion I56 of the arm 40. This lever is fulcrumed on a bearing surface I58 in a member I60 which is adjustably mounted, by means of screws I62, I62 passing through slots I64, I64, on an elongated plate I66. The plate I66 is supported at one end on the top of the upright 56 and at its other end by a rod I68 which extends upwardly from a part (not shown) of the main frame 24. In Fig. 1 the lever I52 rests at one end on the head of a bolt I threaded into the plate I66 and provided with a lock nut I12. In this full-line position of the lever an abutment surface I14 on th strap I50 is elevated a short distance above a flattened portion I16 on the arm 40.

Depending from the extreme right-hand end of plate I66 is a solenoid comprising a coil I18, frame 180, armature I82 and yoke I84. The upper part of the solenoid frame is secured to the plate by screws I86 and suitable upper and lower guides I88, I90 are provided for the yoke. The armature is connected to the yoke by means of a bolt I92 and extends up into the coil, as shown in Fig. 4. Leads I94, I96 connect the coil I18 with a suitable source of electrical energy through a main switch I98 and a snap switch 200. The yoke I84 has an upwardly extending stem 202, which passes through a clearance hole 204 in the lever I52, and has an abutment plate 206 secured thereto. This stem is threaded at its upper end and th nut 208 supports the yoke on the lever with the abutment plate nearly touching its lower side. The surfaces of the nut and abutment plate, which face the lever, are rounded -so that slight rocking movement of the lever with respect to the yoke is permitted. A look nut '2I0 is provided for the nut 208.

When the solenoid I18 is energized its armature is pulled upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 4, elevating the yoke and rocking the lever I52 in a clockwise direction on its fulcrum I58, see dotted position of these parts in Fig. 1. Th abutment surface I14 on the strap I52 now bears against the surface I16 on the arm 40 and a load, additional to that of the spring 64, is imposed on the feed wheel. This results in an increase in the effect of the feed wheel to hold the sole against the tool, and with these two loads on the feed wheel the edge of the sole is forced against the tool with a maximum pressure suitable for operating upon the thicker edge portions thereof. By changing the position of the member I60 the magnitude of this additional load can be varied.

In Fig. 6, the tool is shown operating on such a thick portion of the sole S and held in its open position by the ngagement of the marginal portions of the sole with the surfaces I20, I22 of the tool. In this position the tool operates the switch 200 to close the circuit to the solenoid I18 and thus functions to impose the above-mentioned additional loading on the feed Wheel. The closing of the switch is accomplished by pressure of the projection I48 against a plunger 2 I 2 which extends downwardly from the switch. The switch 200 is of the so-called micromatic snapaction type and is operated by very small movements of its plunger 212, displacements of several thousandths of an inch being sufficient to effect opening or closing of the circuit. Switches of this kind are available to the trade and any suitable type may be used. This switch is so positioned with respect to the tool that the projection I48, acting through a leaf spring member 220, just moves the plunger to circuit closing position when the tool, is opened to its widest extent, as determined by the engagement of bushing I38 with cap I40. As has been previously explained, the tool is a little undersize, about /2 iron under the sole thickness, so that it is maintained in this wide-open position during all the time that the forepart of the sole is in contact therewith even though the forepart may vary slightly in thickness.

When, during the progress of the edge of the sole past the tool, the reduced shank portion is reached, the tool first closes by gravity and is then yieldingly held in closed position by the action of the leaf spring 220 in the following manner. This spring is secured to one end of a lever 222 by means of a clamp plate 224 and a screw 228. This lever is secured to a shaft 228 journaled in spaced arms of a bracket 230 carried by the upright 56. The lever 222 is slotted at 232, and connected thereto, by means of a cross pin 234 passing through this slot, is the armature 236 of a second solenoid 238. Th solenoid 238 has a frame 240, which is secured to the bar I66 by means of screws 242 and a supporting plate 244, and is connected to the power source by leads 246, 248 through the main switch I98 and a snap switch 250. This switch is like switch 200 and a very small inward movement of its plunger 252 is sufiicient to-close the circuit to the solenoid, the circuit being immediately opened when the plunger is released.

As the upper part of the tool drops, by gravity, to follow the surface of the sole in its reduced shank portion, the projection I48 moves away from the plunger 2I2 and snap switch 200 imme diately operates to open the circuit to the solenoid I18. The lever I52 drops quickly to the fullline position shown in Fig. 1, from the dottedline position indicated thereon. An ear 254, secured upon the yoke I84 by means of screws 258, 258 now contacts the plunger 252, thus causing switch 250 to close and energize the solenoid 238.

The armature 236 is now pulled upwardly, swinging the lever 222 in a, clockwise direction and pressing the leaf spring 220 against the projection I48 to hold the tool yieldingly in its closed position. This ear occupies the dotted-line position, shown in Fig. 1, when the tool is operating on the forepart and the solenoid I18 is energized.

Turning movement of the, lever 222 in an anticlockwise direction is limited by means of an upwardly extending stop 260, formed as part of a bar 262 which is secured to the arm 40 by screws 264, 264, and this stop prevents movement of the plunger 2I2 of the switch 200 by the leaf spring 220, except when acted upon by the projection I48 in the manner above explained,

When the tool again engages the thicker forepart, the upper part of the tool is moved upwardly against the action of the spring 220, which is not strong enough to offer any great resistance to this movement, until the spring contacts the plunger 2I2 and switch 200 closes to energize the solenoid I 18. The yoke I84 now rises, carrying with it the ear 254, whereupon switch 250 opens and the lever 222 drops to the position shown in Fig. 1 and until it strikes stop 260. The pressure of the spring 220 on the tool, imposed by the pull of solenoid 238, is thus relieved when the tool is opened.

In order to prevent the switch 250 from being closed by the car 254 when there is no work in the machine, the following arrangement is provided. This switch is secured to one end of an arm 210 which is pivotally mounted on a stud 212 carried by a sleeve 214 secured to the rod I68 by a set screw 216. A collar 218 on this stud engages one end of a hub portion 280 of the arm 218 to hold it in position axially, the hub bearing at its other end against a shouldered part of the stud. The other end of this arm is provided with an elongated aperture 282 into which projects a reduced end portion 284 of the bar 262. When the arm 40 is swung towardthe table I by the spring 64 until stop screw 10 engages the plate 46, the arm 210 is turned so as to lower the switch 258 beyond a point where the ear 254 can strike the plunger 252 when the yoke I84 is in its lowermost position. The arrangement is such that, so long as there is a work piece in the machine beneath the feed wheel, the ear 254 can reach the plunger 252, and either one or the other of the two solenoids will be energized depending on whether the tool is engaging the thick forepart or a reduced shank portion, but when the work piece is removed neither of the switches 200 or 250 can be actuated.

The switch 280 is secured to a T-shaped plate 290 which is mounted on a bracket member 292 having adjustable pointed bearing studs 294, 294. These studs engage conical bearing recesses formed in an extension 2 96 of the upright 38 and are threaded to permit vertical adjustment of the switch 200. Locknuts 298, 298 hold the studs in adjusted position. This arrangement also permits the switch to be swung out of the way when it is desired tochange the tool. The friction of the studs in their bearing recesses is sufiicient to hold the switch in any position to which it is moved. This vertical adjustment of the switch 200, together with the adjustment of the lowermost position of the ear 254 by'mean of the stop screw I10; make it possible to regulate nicely the operation of both of the solenoids I18 and 238 which control the action of the feed wheel and hold the tool yieldingly closed when it is working on sole portions of reduced thickness.

,Referring to Fig. 2, the portion of the arm 48 adjacent to the feed wheel is reduced in size and is cut away at 300 to permit a compact arrangement of the feed wheel and tool. However, this cut-away portion does overhang the tool slightly and, to permit removal of the tool for replacement by another for operating on a sole of different thickness, provision is-made for allowing a small lateral movement of the arm 40. This is accomplished by providing short slots 382, 302 for the bolts 384, 384 which hold the upright 56 to the platform 48; Upon loosening of these bolts the upright and arm can be moved to one side far enough for the cut-away portion to clear the tool. In removing the tool the end piece I46 is lifted off, the switch 200' being first swung out of the way, and then the sleeve I44 is removed. Next the cap I48 is taken off of the shaft 86, after removing screw I42, whereupon both upper and lowertool portions can'be readily slid up off of the shaft, the pin I30 remaining in the collar I28. With a difierent tool placed on the shaft, the arm and upright are returned to their original positions and the bolts 304, 304 tightened. This replacement of tools is, therefore, a simple procedure and is accomplished without disturbing the setting of switch 200, since the overall length of all tools, from the upper surface of the upper part I I0 to the bottomsurface of the lower part I I2, is the same. Any slight adjustment of the lowermost position of the car 254, which may be made necessary by a different thickness of sole, is'readily effected by means of the stop screw I10. When changing from one thickness ofsole to another it may be desirableto vary the pressure of the sole on the tool, both for operating on the forepart and also in the reduced shank. The latter is accomplished by varying the spring loading on the feed wheel, by means of the adjusting screw 60, while the former is obtained by shifting the member I60 to the right or left, as desired, to change the amount of additional load imposed by the solenoid I18.

While the illustrated machine is provided with a tool for performing an edge-setting operation on soles,'it is equally well adapted for carrying out other finishing operations, a for example, trimming the edge of a died-out or rounded sole. In Fig. 7a a toolfor such a trimming operation is shown. This tool is exactly like the tool described above and illustrated in Figs. 6 and .7 with one exception. Referring to Fig. 7a, in which the corresponding tool elements are designated by the same reference characters as in Fig. 7 followed by the letter a, the trailing edges of the interfitting portions, HM and H611, are backed off 'slightly' as shown at 3I 0. When this tool is ro-* tated in the direction of the'arrow its sharp leadingedges will remove a light chip from a sole edge held against it. Thus, by feeding a sole through the machine with a tool of this sort on the shaft 86 its edge will be lightly trimmed; Such light trimming of the sole'edge prior to edge setting is sometimes desirable and results in a superior finish in the edge after setting. In the edge-setting tool shown in Fig. 7 the parts of the working surfaceI I8 which are formed by the upper tool portions I I4 are moved out of engagement with the sole when the tool closes, due to the conicity of the surface I I8, and, in order to avoid any cutting action, the leading edges of the lower portions I I6 are dulled slightly,

The function and operation of the several parts of the illustrated machine have been described above in connection with descriptions thereof. However, for the purpose of further clarifying these functions, a brief outline of the operation of the machine in finishing the edge portion of a preshaped sole will be given. With the machine started by closing main switch I98, which, in addition to connecting the leads to the two solenoids to the source of electrical energy, also connects the main drive motor, the operator places a preshaped sole, grain side down, on the work table and inserts a portion of its edge, at a point on one side adjacent to the heel end and well back of the b east line BI Fig. 5, beneath the rotating feed wheel and under the presser foot. The sole is now taken in control by the feed wheel. which, after moving the sole so as to bring its edge against the rapidly rotating tool, feeds the edge progressively past the tool while holding it firmly against its working surface. When the sole has completed its movement past the tool to 'a point well beyond the breast line at the opposite side, the operator grasps the sole and pulls it from beneath the feed wheel and out of the machine. The feeding of the sole is entirely automatic after the sole is engaged by the feed wheel.

Referring to Fig. 5, the sole S therein shown has substantially completed its movement past the tool, having reached the reduced shank portion on the opposite side from the point of starting.

\As soon as the breast line on this side passes beyond the tool the sole can be removed since it is not necessary to finish the heel end of the sole, this operation being done after the sole is assembled in a shoe and during the heel-finishing operation. When the sole in Fig. was inserted in the machine, at the point 11 indicated by the start of the feed wheel marks, the thin edge of the reduced shank portion was presented to the tool. The insertion of the sole beneath the feed wheel caused a turning of the arm 40 sufficient to elevate the switch 250 so that its plunger engaged the ear 255, then in its lowermost position. The

solenoid 238 was, therefore, energized, and the 1 tool held yieldingly closed by the leaf spring 220. This thin edge did not, however, elevate the upper portion of the tool enough to actuate the switch 200 and the feed wheel was forced into the sole solely by the spring 64. Thus, a light pressure on the sole edge was first obtained.

After the sole had moved so that the tool encountered the thickened forepart, at point 1), the upper portion of the tool was moved, by virture of the engagement of its inclined radial surfaces 120 with the marginal portion'of the sole,-

to its fully open position, the spring 220 readily yielding to permit this movement. The switch 200 was then actuated, by projection I48, and the solenoid I18 energized, thereby imposing the additional load on the feed wheel and effecting an increase in the pressure of the sole edge on the tool. The dotted lines outlining the lever I52 in Fig. 1 show its position under these conditions,

tension in the spring 220 being immediately relieved as soon as the yoke I84 is elevated to move the ear 254 away from plunger 252 and disconnect solenoid 238.

This increased pressure was maintained by the open position of the tool as long as the thicker forepart edge was in engagement therewith. When the entire forepart of the sole had been moved past the tool, at about the point 0 shown in Fig. 5, the tool again encountered a reduced shank portion. Gravity immediately caused the upper portion of the tool to drop away from the plunger 2 l2 so that switch 200 promptly opened the circuit to solenoid I18. As the yoke I84 dropped. its ear 254 engaged the plunger 252. closing switch 250 and energizing the solenoid 238. Armature 230 then pulled up the left-hand end of lever 222 so that the tool was held closed by spring 220. The additional feed wheel load having been removed, the light pressure is again obtained for the remainder of the finishing operation on the reduced shank to point d. When the sole is removed, after the breast line passes beyond the tool, the parts return to the positions shown in Fig. 1 in which neither of the solenoids is energized.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United State is:

l. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool having a working surface for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole on said tableand serving as the only guiding means for determining the path of feeding movement of the sole, and a driven feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for exerting a positive feeding force on a sole in a direction parallel-to the plane of said feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so arranged with respect to said tool that its positive feeding force moves the edge of the sole past the tool while holding said edge firmly against the working surface of said tool.

2. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool having a working surface for performing a finishing operation on the ed Of a sole arranged adjacent to said table, means for yieldingly holding a sole on said work table, and a driven feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for exerting a positive feeding force on a sole in a direction parallel to the plane of said feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so arranged with respect to said tool that its positive feeding force moves the edge of the sole past the tool and also holds it firmly against the working surface of said tool.

3. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a single rotary guide means adjacent to the table providing a circular surface for engaging the edge of a sole in substantially a line contact, and a toothed feed wheel obliquely arranged with respect to said guide means and adapted to feed the edge of the sole past said guide means while holding it firmly against, said circular surface.

4. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a single rotary guide means mounted adjacent to the table and providing a circular surface for engaging the edge of a sole in substantially a line contact, and a driven feed wheel having rounded teeth with sharpened edges, said feed wheel being arranged with its plane oblique to the guide means and adapted to feed the edge of the sole past the guide means while holding it firmly against said circular surface.

5. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a single rotary guide means mounted adjacent to the table and providing a circular surface for engaging the edge of a sole in substantially a line contact, and a driven feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for exerting a positive feeding force on a sole in a direction parallel to the plane of said feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so arranged with respect to said guide means that it moves the edge of the sole past the guide means and also holds it firmly against said circular surface.

6. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, means for yieldingly holding a sole on said work table, a single rotary guide means mounted adjacent to the table and providing a circular surface for engaging the edge of the sole in substantially a line contact, and a driven feed wheel having rounded teeth with sharpened edges for exerting a positive feeding force on a sole in a direction parallel to the plane of said feed wheel While allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so arranged with respect to said guide means that it moves the edge of the sole past the guide means and also holds it firmly against said circular surface.

7. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole having a movable part, feeding mechanism for moving the edge of the sole past the tool and for pressing said edge against the tool. and means under the control of the movable tool part for varying the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

8. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool adjacent to said table for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having a movable part shaped to engage the marginal surface of the sole, feeding mechanism for moving the edge of the sole past the tool and for pressing said edge against the tool,

' said tool having a fixed part and a movable part and means under the control of said movable tool part for varying the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

9. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool adjacent to said table for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having a fixed part and a movable part each shaped to engage respectively the opposite marginal surfaces of the sole, feeding mechanism for moving the edge of the sole past the tool and forpressing said edge against the tool, and means under the control of the movable tool part for varying the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

10. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool adjacent to the table for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a feed wheel constructed and arranged to move the sole past the tool and to press its edge against the tool, and means for changing the pressure of the sole edge on the tool.

11. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool adjacent to the table for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a feed wheel constructed and arranged to move the sole past the tool and to press its edge against the tool, and automatic means for changing the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

12. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool having a working surface for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a driven feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for exerting a positive feeding force on the sole in a direction parallel to the plane of said feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so arranged that it moves the edge of the sole past the tool while holding it' firmly against the working surface thereof, and automatic means for changing the pressure of the sole edge on the tool.

13. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole having a movable part, a feed wheel constructed and arranged to move the sole past the tool and to press its edge against the tool, and means under the control of the movable tool part for varying the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

14. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotarywork table, a rotary tool adjacent to the table for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having a movable part shaped to engage a marginal surface of the sole, a driven feed wheel constructed and arranged to move the sole past the tool and to press its edge against the tool, and automatic means under the control of said movable tool part for varying thepressure of the sole edge against the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

15. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool adjacent to said table for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole,

each shaped to engage respectively the opposite marginal surfaces of the sole, a feed wheel having peripheral teeth constructed and arranged to bite into the surface of the sole and to feed the edge of the sole past the tool while holding said edge firmly against the tool, and means under the control. of the movable tool part for varying the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

16. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary Work table, a rotary tool adjacent to said table having a working surface for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having a fixed part and a movable part each shaped to engage respectively the opposite marginal surfaces of the sole, a driven feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for exerting a positive feeding force on the sole in a direction parallel to the plane of said feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feedwheel being so constructed and arranged that it moves the edge of the sole pastthe tool while holding it firmly against the working surface thereof, and means under control of the movabletool part for varying the pressure of the sole edge on the tool in accordance with variations in the edge thickness of the sole.

1'7. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a feed wheel having peripheral teeth constructed and arranged for engagement with the sole to move its edge past the tool and to hold said edge against the tool, and means for altering the engagement of said teeth with the sole to vary the pressure of the sole edge on the tool.

18 A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool having a working surface for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for engaging the surface of the sole to exert a positive feeding force on the Sole in a direction parallel to the plane of said 4 feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so arranged.

with respect to said tool that it moves the edge of the sole past the tool while holding it firmly tion on the edge of a sole, said tool having a movable part shaped to engage the marginal surface of the sole, a feed wheel having peripheral teeth for engaging the sole constructed and arranged to move the sole past the tool and to hold said edge against the tool, and means under the control of said movable tool part for altering the engagement of said teeth with the sole to vary the pressur of the sole edge on the tool.

20. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool having a working surface for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having a fixed part and a movable part each shaped to engage respectively the opposite marginal surfaces of the sole, a feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for engaging the surface of the sole to exert a positive feeding force on the sole in a direction parallel to the plane of said feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being 50 arranged with respect to said tool that it moves the edge of the sole past the tool while holding it firmly against the working surface thereof, and means under the control of said movable tool part for altering the engagement of the teeth with the surface of the sole to vary the pressure of the sole edge on said working surface.

21. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a feed wheel movable toward the table into engagement with a sole placed thereon to move the sole past the tool and to hold its edge against the tool, means for pressing the feed wheel against the sole, and means for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge on the tool.

22. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool having a working face for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for engaging the surface of the sole and exerting a positive feeding force on the sole in a direction parallel to the plane of the feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so constructed and arranged that it moves the edge of the sole past .the tool while holding it firmly against the working surface thereof, spring means for press ing the feed wheel against the sole, and means for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge on the working surface of the tool.

23. A mac ine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole having a movable part, a feed wheel movable toward the table into engagement with a sole placed thereon to move the sole past the tool and to hold its edge against the tool, means for pressing the feed wheel against the sole, and means under the control of the movable tool part for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge on the tool.

24. A machine for operating on unattached soles Or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary tool having a working surface for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having a fixed part and a movable part each shaped to engage respectively the 0pposite marginal surfaces of the sole, a feed wheel having rounded teeth provided with sharpened edges for engaging the surface of the sole and exerting a positive feeding force on the sole in a direction parallel to the plane of the feed wheel while allowing the sole to move laterally thereof, said feed wheel being so constructed and arranged that itmoves the edge of the sole past the tool while holding it firmly against the working surface thereof, spring meansfor pressing the feed Wheel against the sole, and means under the control of the movable tool part for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge on the working surface of the tool.

25. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a finishing tool, a toothed feed wheel for moving a sole past the tool and for holding its edge against the tool, spring means for pressing the feed wheel against the sole, and magnetic means for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge on the tool.

26. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a rotary work table, a rotary finishing tool having a movable part, a feed wheel having rounded sharpened teeth, spring means for pressing the feed wheel against the surface of a sole on the table, magnetic means for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge onthe tool, and means under the control of the movable tool part for energizing said magnetic means. i

27. In a machine for operating On unattached soles or the like having a work table and a feeding mechanism, the combination of a tool comprising relatively movable interfitting parts each shaped to engage respectively the opposite marginal surface of a sole, stop means for limiting movements of said tool parts to open and closed positions, and means associated with a movable tool part for controlling the action of said feeding mechanism.

28. In a machine for operating on unattached soles or the like having a work table and a feed wheel for engaging and feeding a sole on the table, the combination of a rotary tool comprising relatively movable interfitting parts each shaped to engage respectively the opposite marginal surfaces of the sole as it is fed past the feed wheel, stop means for limiting opening and closing movements of said tool portions, and means associated with a movable tool part for controlling the action of the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the edge of the sole on the tool when said movable tool portion is in open position.

29. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, a feed wheel for moving the edge of a sole past the tool and for holding said edge against the tool, said tool having parts for engaging the marginal surfaces of the sole movable between open and closed positions, means under the control of amovable tool portion when in open position for causing increased pressure of the sole edge on the tool, and means for yieldingly holding the tool portions in closed position.

30. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising, a work table, a r0- tary tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having a part freely movable between open and closed positions and shaped to engage a marginal surface of a sole, a toothed feed wheel movable towards the table for engaging a sole thereon to move it past the tool and to hold its edge against the tool, spring means for pressing the feed wheel against the sole, magnetic means under the control of the movable tool portion when in open position for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge on the tool, and resilient means for holding the movable tool portion in closed position, said last-named means being controlled by th magnetic means.

31. A machine for operating on unattached soles or the like comprising a work table, a rotary tool for performing a finishing operation on the edge of a sole, said tool having interfitting portions one of which is freely movable between open and closed positions and each shaped to engage respectively the opposite surfaces of a sole, a

toothed wheel movable towards the table for engaging a sole thereon to move it past the tool and to hold its edge against the tool, spring means for pressing the feed Wheel against the sole, magnetic means under the control of the movable tool portion for applying an additional force on the feed wheel to increase the pressure of the sole edge on the tool when said movable portion is in open position, a second magnetic means operable to hold said tool portion in closed position, and means associated with the feed wheel and said first-named magnetic means for rendering said second magneticmeans inoperative when there is no sole beneath the feed wheel.

32. In a machine for operating on unattached soles or the like having a work table, a feed wheel for engaging and feeding a sole on the table, force-applying means for varying the engagement of the feed wheel with the sole including a control element, and a driven shaft, the combination of a finishing tool removably mounted on said shaft and having a movable part and a fixed part, and means associated with the movable tool part and arranged to cooperate with saidcontrol element for governing the action of said force-applying means.

33. In a machine for operating on unattached soles or the like having, a Work table, a feed wheel for engaging and feeding a sole on the table, force-applying means for varying the engagement of the feed wheel with the sole including a control element, and a driven tool shaft, the combination of a finishing tool removably mounted on said shaft and having a movable part and a fixed part, and a control sleeve supported for movement on the shaft by said movable part and arranged to cooperate with said control element for governing the action of said force-applying means.

34. In a machine for operating on unattached soles or the like having, a Work table, a' feed wheel for engaging and feeding a sole on the table, force-applying means for varying the engagement of the feed wheel with the sole including a control element, and a driven tool shaft, the combination of a finishing tool removably mounted on said shaft and having a movable part and a fixed part, and a control sleeve supported for movement on the shaft by said movable part and arranged to cooperate with said control'element for governing the action of said forceapplying means, said tool parts comprising telescoping elements constructed and arranged for replacement on said shaft by other corresponding telescopic elements without disturbing the position of said control sleeve with respect to said control element. 1

- HARRY LYON. 

